Monday, December 9, 2019

"China tests killer drones for street-to-street urban warfare, plans sales overseas"

It's not just the U.S. military* that is concerned about future urban operations.
From the South China Morning Post, November 28:
  • Tianyi quadcopter built by a subsidiary of a state aerospace corporation is designed to carry out ground-level reconnaissance and precision strikes in cities
  • The unmanned aerial vehicles are still under development, but once ready could be available on the international market as a cheap and versatile option
A Chinese technology firm is testing a new attack drone specifically designed to help ground troops in street-level combat, in the hope that it can sell the unit abroad, reports say.
Engineers recently completed a successful air-to-ground test firing exercise for the mini quadcopter named Tianyi, Modern Weaponry reported.

The developer, Tianjin Zhongwei Aerospace Data System Technology, said the unmanned aerial vehicle had been designed to carry out both reconnaissance missions and close-range strikes against armoured vehicles or individuals in an urban environment.

“It is suitable for circumstances that include asymmetric combat, counterterrorism and special forces [operations] and street battles,” the report said.

The report said the manufacturers were analysing the data from the most recent test, but did not say when the Tianyi would move from development into production.

It had previously been reported that the People’s Liberation Army has commissioned large fixed-wing drones to carry out missile strikes, but there has been little information about its possible use of smaller aerial vehicles that can be operated by troops on the ground....MUCH MORE
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have had some success going underground. Something about the Troglodyte existence brings to mind the quote attributed to Albert Einstein:
Someone asked Mr. Einstein one day what kind of weapons would be used in the third world war. “Well,” he answered, “I don’t know. I don’t know what they are developing, because things are progressing so rapidly, but I can tell you what they’ll use in the fourth world war,” he said. “They’ll use rocks.”Quote Investigator
*Recently:
U.S. Naval War College Review via D.C.'s Institute of World Politics—Feral Cities
U.S. Army Mad Scientist Laboratory—"Mad Scientist Blog: 'Three Futurist Urban Scenarios'".